Anybody used the Bessel 200x40 strip softbox ?

Hodders

Hodders

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Ben
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Subject says it all really I want to get a couple of softboxes - don't need to be collapsible - has anybody got any comments about the light quality compared to the Lencarta equivalent ?
 
I have a huge Bessel softbox I bought off ebay.

Was surprised at how good the quality was for the price.

Can recommend 100%

Regards

Danny
 
The Lencarta is a lot more expensive, and a lot smaller.

The Lencarta doesnt come with a grid either, which is free with the bessel and is one of the reasons why I would use a strip - ie, rim light.

I know where my money would be going.
 
I put mine up and left it up so can't say lol. I've had bad experiences with softboxes before, hence my desire now to stay with elinchrom modifiers.

For the bargain price though, the bessel stuff is really quite impressive.
 
Just ordered a couple of strip-boxes and a beauty dish - I'll report back on them.
 
Please do, I've fancied their big strip (!) for some time.
 
treeman said:
Slight thread hijack....but what's the Bessel like for setting up and taking down?
Click to expand...

very easy and stright forward. couple minutes and job done :thumbs:

light is fantastic too ;)
 
Hodders said:
Just ordered a couple of strip-boxes and a beauty dish - I'll report back on them.
Click to expand...

Wicked! I almost placed exactly the same order last night.. But I hesitated as I was concerned about the Light and build quality.:thumbs:
 
Well they turned up today and I've had about 10 miutes to play.

First up simple key light to camera right, strip-boxes either side behind me:

test00.jpg


Then a bit of coloured gel on the BG:

test01.jpg


Needs some refinement - but I like the edge definition the rim lighting brings. Shot 1 could do with a little more on my shoulders but as a first quick thrown together setup I'm happy.

The beauty dish needs some aluminium filed away before I can fit to my lencarta flash heads so I haven't had a chance to play with that yet...
 
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:) New toys! I took my Bessel softbox down last night and forgot to post afterwards. It was really easy, no indication that anything would break if the process was repeated a few times. Good result all round. Cheap alternative for modifiers I reckon :)
 
Look good ............. do they do a fitting for off camera flash? or can you get an adapter somewhere?
 
At a guess you could buy it is bowens s mount and use it with an interfit xs adapter?
 
chazza said:
Look good ............. do they do a fitting for off camera flash? or can you get an adapter somewhere?
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Assume you mean hotshoe flash?

A modifier that is 2metres wide really needs bare bulb. There are many instances where hotshoe guns simply dont suffice, and this is one of them.
 
Ben, Did you get the 2M ones in the end? and did they come with grid? Can you take some shots of the soft box with flash firing to show well they control the light. Does that make sense?
 
I'll take some mote detailed shots tomorrow showing the grids.
 
Dude - CHEER UP! You have new toys :D

Look nice - the real test is how much the light varies across the length. Fancy measuring it...?

Re speedlights....I guess no reason you can't hang them off an S adapter but I reckon a single speedlight will really suffer trying to get light to both ends. I'd expect a big hot spot and rapid fall off. Or so much baffling inside that you get little light out.
 
Jonathan, that was about the first thing I did ! I measured it using my lightmeter and got just over a stop difference between the corners and the middle. But given the length (2m) and the cost it is certainly acceptable.

As for cheering up - I was going for a gangsta look - mean and moody like :-)
 
A difference of just over 1 stop isn't bad for something of this size/price. My guess is that hotshoe flashes would work OK if you used more than one, fitted with stofen type diffusers and pointing in different directions.
 
Garry Edwards said:
A difference of just over 1 stop isn't bad for something of this size/price. My guess is that hotshoe flashes would work OK if you used more than one, fitted with stofen type diffusers and pointing in different directions.
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I'm pretty sure 2 speedlights won't fit through a Bowens mount :(

Though I bet you could improvise with some duck tape....
 
Improvise is good, but you can already get hotshoe> S-fit adapters that will take up to 4 flashguns, and there will be some new ones available soon too - remind me to show you when we meet.
 
Garry Edwards said:
Improvise is good, but you can already get hotshoe> S-fit adapters that will take up to 4 flashguns, and there will be some new ones available soon too - remind me to show you when we meet.
Click to expand...

I'd be interested to see that (and, um "test" it for you for a while...). The hole in the back of an S fit speedring will only physically fit one SB. They must be doing something clever to move all the light.
 
One taken with a little more time spent on the lighting.

Beauty dish (yeah the irony is strong here) just to camera right and at about 8 feet high.
Strip box either side behind the subject at about 45 degrees. Ratio 2:1:1.

I like the setup, it offers a degree of subject separation and the shadows coming forward from the strip boxes add some interest. The strip boxes also add some wrap that I also like here.

test02.jpg
 
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Thanks for this Hodders - I am a total beginner to lighting, recently got a lastolite softbox but looking at the grid they sell for it made me flinch - at £75 odd quid !
I had not heard of Bessel, so having just read your thread took a look - a 60 x 60 cm softbox with grid for £35 has to be worth a punt while learning about lighting while broke !
One question - can anyone explain what the difference is between S-Type and EL- Type fittings is - I will be using a canon 580 flash to start so want some way of mounting that.
 
Awesome :)

In other news....I just used the new Lencarta 150 octabox. (Nothing interesting to show it was just a nice way to fill in some product shots I was doing).

Two thoughts:
1. 150 is a lot bigger than you think. It's h-u-g-e. Hmm, that must mean I've been using a 120 for a while when I thought I had a 150.
2. VERY well made. This is the collapsible one and it's really really nice. Far better quality than my one year old 20 mins to assemble one.

I'll try to do something exciting with it tomorrow - shooting outdoors and it could be windy....
 
stevewestern said:
Thanks for this Hodders - I am a total beginner to lighting, recently got a lastolite softbox but looking at the grid they sell for it made me flinch - at £75 odd quid !
I had not heard of Bessel, so having just read your thread took a look - a 60 x 60 cm softbox with grid for £35 has to be worth a punt while learning about lighting while broke !
One question - can anyone explain what the difference is between S-Type and EL- Type fittings is - I will be using a canon 580 flash to start so want some way of mounting that.
Click to expand...
S-fit has 3 male lugs that fit into the flashhead (or to an S-fit hotshoe adapter). The modifiers click into place positively and can't fall off.

EL has 3 female slots that don't fit into the male bits on the flashead, and when using the 'double lock' they take a bit longer to fall off.

:lol:
 
The23rdman said:
Genius!

although it has to be said your right hand looks a bit...dodgy?
Click to expand...

Just thinking of you darling - well that and operating the shutter remote :-)
 
Garry Edwards said:
S-fit has 3 male lugs that fit into the flashhead (or to an S-fit hotshoe adapter). The modifiers click into place positively and can't fall off.

EL has 3 female slots that don't fit into the male bits on the flashead, and when using the 'double lock' they take a bit longer to fall off.

:lol:
Click to expand...

Don't Elinchrom speedrings have 2 female slots?...pretty sure mine do....

And no female socket will fit into a male socket, its the other way round ;)
 
Excuse my thickness, but does that mean I would need an s-type fitting then ?

As for Jonathan stating that 150 is a lot bigger than you think - hey, I've been telling that to girls for so long yet none of them believe me..
 
In order to use a "speedlight" you will need some sort of adaptor (or a whole load of duct tape). I think that Flash in the Pan sells something that would help or maybe ebay. El and S fit tend to be used with full on main powered studio flash heads so won't by default fit a speedlight.
 
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Mahoneyd187 said:
Don't Elinchrom speedrings have 2 female slots?...pretty sure mine do....

And no female socket will fit into a male socket, its the other way round ;)
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You're right of course, it's 2 that fall out, not 3.
And you're right about the male/female bit too, I really should know that by now...:)

So I'll rephrase it. EL has 2 female slots that the male bits on the flashead don't fit into, and when using the 'double lock' they take a bit longer to fall off.

I was using a 150cm octa box yesterday, Eli fitting (yes I know, but the Eli was nearer) and it worked OK but only because it was on a low stand so that the bottom of the softbox was resting on the floor.


Excuse my thickness, but does that mean I would need an s-type fitting then ?
Click to expand...
Yes.
Awesome

In other news....I just used the new Lencarta 150 octabox. (Nothing interesting to show it was just a nice way to fill in some product shots I was doing).

Two thoughts:
1. 150 is a lot bigger than you think. It's h-u-g-e. Hmm, that must mean I've been using a 120 for a while when I thought I had a 150.
2. VERY well made. This is the collapsible one and it's really really nice. Far better quality than my one year old 20 mins to assemble one.

I'll try to do something exciting with it tomorrow - shooting outdoors and it could be windy....
Click to expand...
I'll have to get one of those myself, I've only got the 'small' 140cm one here
 
I've never heard of an issue with elinchrom mounts? News to me.
 
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